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about fanatacism. 64 More significantly the films were becoming pro-North in theirsympathies and were beginning to show southern characters as villains and traitors. 65 Thiscan be seen in Stagecoach (1939) where the southern 'gentleman,' the immaculatelydressed aristocratic Hatfield, 'a notorious gambler,' represents the 'fag-end of southerngentility.' 6 He lives under an assumed name, treats everyone, except the southern lady,with disdain and is the only one to be killed.For the African Americans the changing economic circumstances, and then the war,became another opportunity to demonstrate their patriotism and their citizenship.Participating in America's wars was not about supporting white America, as the slaves haddone in GWTW when they marched through Atlanta on the way to dig fortifications, but tofight against the forces of racism at home and abroad. The different political outlook of the1930s recharged the civil rights movement and on the outbreak of World War II it wasstronger than it had been for twenty years. During the war the NAACP gained many moresupporters and won some notable victories in the courts. 67 Even the army, under pressurefrom the liberals in the Roosevelt administration, began to acknowledge that it had tochange its attitude to the African American troops. African Americans gained respect andself-esteem and also benefited from the upturn in the economy. They looked forward tomaintaining these gains when peace resumed. After Pearl Harbor, Hollywood all butstopped producing Civil War films although GWTW continued to be shown. If Hollywoodwas to resume its interest in the Civil War when peace came would it return to the formulaof its most successful film or would it take an entirely different approach?52

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